Word Meaning
ख़ार-ज़ार
khār-zār
Meaning
A thorny thicket, bramble patch, or place full of thorns and hardships.
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetry, 'khār-zār' denotes a terrain or wilderness densely covered with thorns, symbolizing relentless pain, affliction, or the perilous journey of love and madness. In the provided couplet, it represents a new arena of trials and suffering waiting even in settled life for those consumed by passion. It reflects the inevitability of sorrow, where barefoot wanderers find thorns wherever they go.
Etymology
Persian compound of 'khār' (thorn) + '-zār' (suffix indicating place of abundance or field).
Usage
Commonly contrasted with 'गुलज़ार' (rose garden) in classical ghazal to oppose worldly suffering and poetic distress against comfort and joy.
Examples
Stepping barefoot into the thorny thicket
Every path in the desert turned into a thorny expanse